Take card payments with a countertop reader (WisePOS E)

What is the WisePOS E?

The Stripe WisePOS E is a countertop card reader that connects to the internet over Wi‑Fi or Ethernet. Unlike the WisePad 3 (which pairs to one Android device over Bluetooth), the WisePOS E is shared by the whole store — any POS terminal, including the web POS in a browser, can send a payment to it.

Note: The reader must first be registered to your store in the Back Office under Setup > Integrations > Stripe (Smart card readers). Ask your manager if the list in the POS is empty.

Choose your card reader

1. On the POS, open Settings > Peripherals.
2. Scroll to the Card Reader section.
3. Pick the reader to use on this terminal:
   • On-device reader (Android POS only) — the WisePad 3, Tap to Pay, or USB reader you already use.
   • One of your store's WisePOS E readers, shown with its name and a live online/offline status.
4. Your choice is remembered on this terminal. Use the refresh button to update the online status.

Note: On the web POS only WisePOS E readers are available, because browsers cannot connect to Bluetooth or USB readers.

Take a payment

1. Build the order as usual and press Pay.
2. Choose Stripe as the payment method and press Confirm.
3. The POS shows "Waiting for customer to present card on the reader" and the amount appears on the WisePOS E screen.
4. The customer taps or inserts their card on the reader. The reader handles its own prompts.
5. When the payment goes through, the POS shows the payment success screen and prints the receipt as normal.

Split a bill across two or more payments

You can settle one order with several payments on the WisePOS E — for example two cards, or part cash and the rest on a card.

1. Build the order and press Pay.
2. Press the split button (the people icon on the keypad) once for each extra way you want to split. For a two‑way split press it once — the bill divides evenly (e.g. £12.00 → £6.00 and £6.00).
3. To change the amounts, press the pencil next to a split and type the amount for that person. The other splits adjust automatically so they still add up to the total.
4. For the split shown at the top ("To pay: … Pay 1 of 2"), choose how to take it:
   • Stripe — the WisePOS E shows just that split's amount and the customer taps their card.
   • Cash or Card — take that split another way.
5. When the split goes through, the POS moves on to the next split. Repeat step 4 for each one.
6. The order is only marked paid once the final split completes — then you get the payment success screen and receipt as normal.

Note: Each split charges only its own amount on the reader, so the customer sees (for example) £6.00, not the full £12.00. The bill stays open until every split is paid, so you can cancel or retry a single split without touching the ones already taken.

Cancel or retry

• Cancel Payment — while the reader is waiting for a card, press Cancel Payment in the POS to dismiss the prompt on the reader. You can then take another payment method or start again.
• Card declined or failed — the POS shows the reason from the card reader. Press Try Again to re-present the amount on the reader.
• "Reader is busy with another payment" — another terminal is already using the reader. Wait for it to finish, or press Clear Reader & Retry to take over the reader (only do this if you are sure the other payment was abandoned).

Good to know

• Split payments are supported on the WisePOS E — see Split a bill across two or more payments above. Each split presents only its own amount on the reader.
• The reader shows its own tipping prompts if tipping is enabled for your store — the POS will not ask again.
• If the POS says "No card reader selected", go to Settings > Peripherals and pick a reader first.